Zimbabwe is a landlocked country in southern Africa noted for its spectacular terrain and abundant wildlife, much of which is contained within parks, reserves, and safari regions.
Victoria Falls, on the Zambezi River, plunges 108 meters into the tiny Batoka Gorge, where white-water rafting and bungee jumping are available.
Here are the five things to know about Zimbabwe:
1. Mugabe 37 years in power
Robert Mugabe, a hero of independence, led the country for 37 years, first as Prime Minister (1980-1987) and then as President (1987-2017). He was first lured by a program of reconciliation with the white minority, as well as his social and educational policies.
However, he quickly constructed an autocratic regime, with brutal suppression of his opponents. He triggered his country’s economic downfall beginning in the 2000s, with his agricultural reform typified by the brutal eviction of thousands of white farmers in order to allocate land to under-equipped and improperly taught black farmers.
After being discharged from the service, he was obliged to resign in 2017 at the age of 93. Emmerson Mnangagwa, his former lieutenant and successor who was nicknamed “the Crocodile” for his ruthlessness, is running for re-election in the August 23 election at the age of 80.
2. Economic slump
Formerly the region’s breadbasket and endowed with abundant mineral resources (platinum, gold, diamond, and nickel), the country’s agricultural output fell during the agrarian reform of the 2000s. A major economic crisis persists, characterized by hyperinflation, enormous unemployment, and a lack of money in particular.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Zimbabwe saw a rebound in 2021 with 8.5% growth, which fell to 3% in 2022 after several years of contraction.
Its 15 million residents continue to endure rising prices. According to government estimates, inflation had slowed to 175.8% by June 2023 after surging in 2020, while some economists put it closer to 1,000%.
Hyperinflation had reached such dizzying heights by 2008 that the central bank was forced to produce a hundred trillion Zimbabwean dollar note, which has now become a collector’s item.
Zimbabwe is still sanctioned by the West for corruption and human rights violations.
3. Exodus of qualified personnel
The country, whose education system has long been admired across Africa, is witnessing a skilled labor outflow, particularly in the health and education sectors.
In 2022, about 1,800 nurses – more than 10% of public hospital workers – departed, primarily to the United Kingdom, a former colonial state with ten times better earnings.
4. Overpopulated elephants
After neighboring Botswana, Zimbabwe boasts the world’s second-largest elephant population, which is growing at a rate of +5% each year. According to conservationists, its 100,000 pachyderms are nearly double the capacity of its parks.
Overpopulation causes more and more collisions between majestic animals and villagers near reserves. According to authorities, wild creatures such as elephants and crocodiles claimed 68 lives in 2022 and 29 since the beginning of 2023.
5. Famous female writers
Tsitsi Dangarembga, a feminist icon, rose to prominence in 1988 with “Nervous Conditions” (“A fleur de peau”), the first book published in English by a black Zimbabwean woman.
Other Zimbabwean authors with international acclaim include NoViolet Bulawayo and Petina Gappah.
Doris Lessing, the British novelist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2007, had drawn inspiration from her youth in the nation before them.